Reasons
by Cheyennemarie4
Summary: The game started as a result of writing out our wedding vows. After all, when you are to marry a world famous author, you can't have the standard vows that have been used time and time again. Alternating POV
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle although I wish.

A/N: Still fairly new to fan fiction. I've been reading them for years but after I watched Castle, I had story ideas that I just had to write down. I had started one and then this popped into my head. Please read and review. Thanks.

The game started as a result of writing out our wedding vows. After all, when you are to marry a world famous author, you can't have the standard vows that have been used time and time again. But you can't fix writer's block even if it is less than a month before the wedding and you haven't written down more than a few words and what you do write sounds corny as hell. After about a week of hiding from each other we decided to sit down and figure our vows out together. It was a Thursday when Rick came out of his office and I out of the bedroom and decided that two heads could be better than one.

"How's it going?" I ask as we head into the kitchen and I immediately get food and begin to make us a couple of sandwiches and chips.

"Everything I come up with is so corny and I really don't want us to be that couple. Absolutely nauseating at their own wedding."

"I agree. I want it to be personal but fun."

"You guys still having trouble with your wedding vows?" Martha comes waltzing in the room like only an actress can. I motion to the stuff to see if she wants a sandwich but she just shakes her head.

"Yeah, we want it to be different but nothing ridiculous."

"Well you, Katherine, are already a step ahead of the last two. He didn't write vows for either one of them. Wait a minute… what if you were to list all the things you love about each other and then say them during the ceremony? Or read each other's list? Oh Richard!" She begins excitedly. "That would be simply marvelous. Maybe you can make a game of it."

" Well if she were to list all the stuff about me that she loved then I wouldn't get in a word at the wedding." I see his hand moving towards my chips and I slap his hand. He pulls back his hand playfully pretending the light tap was a hard smack.

" Well you two are making this harder than it needs to be. I'm heading to the studio now we're running lines for The Glass Menagerie." She gets up and gives us both a kiss on the cheek and then grabs her purse and leaves.

When the door closes behind her I continue the conversation that we just finished. " You know Rick, I think that would be a cool idea. We can each write out ten and then we give each other one every other day. Y' know like one for me one day and then one for you and then finally one for each of us on the day of the wedding." I say getting excited about the idea.

"And collect them and read them aloud during the ceremony." His eyes brighten and he reminds me of a little kid.

" But nothing dirty Castle." I say giving him my look. "Our parents and Alexis are going to be there."

" I'll try to refrain myself." He says as he gets up from the table and pulls me into his arms. "But I make no promises." He nuzzles my neck and I bite back a sigh.

"So who will go first?" I pull back from him and look him in the eyes.

"Rochambeau?" He raises an eyebrow and begins to form a fist with his right hand.

"Sure loser goes first " I agree. I make a fist of my own and get ready "1... 2… 3… SHOOT!" My hand automatically flattens as Rick's stays the same. I smile at him. " I win"

"Don't worry, I let you win so you get a head start on all the reasons why you love me." He breaks out his smug smile which makes me want to kiss that smile off of his face or hurt him and even after a year together I still can't tell which I would rather do more.

"You're right. I will need some time… time to try to think up 10. I mean _gosh_ I can only think of maybe five." His smile falls and I know that I got him right where I want him. "Castle? I was just kidding…. I could probably make it to ten." I give him a quick peck on the lips and then move away from him towards the living room.

"Cute" I turn back at the sound of his voice and wink. He's just so easy sometimes. He finally follows me into the room where we spend the rest of our day on the couch watching old TV show reruns really making the most of our lazy day at home. By the time that we went to bed I couldn't wait to start this game and I already knew what my first was.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. Although a girl can dream.

A/N: I can't begin to thank all of you who have followed and reviewed my story. Again all the mistakes are mine. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Rick POV

It's nine in the morning and I'm all too aware that our off day is over. Kate and I are at the precinct waiting for a phone call to inform us about a dead body. I'm settled at her desk reading the paper while she is grabbing us our coffees. On the front page was a case that we had just solved. My eyes scan the article looking for inconsistencies in the story. I'm absorbed in my reading that I don't recognize the sound of her heels clacking across the floor.

"Whatcha reading?" She asks me as she hands me a mug. She takes a sip from her own and takes a seat.

" Just reading how the NYPD took down that drug ring." I say folding the paper and passing it to her. She sets her mug on the table and takes the paper from my hands, reading over what I've just read. "Somehow one ruggedly handsome author is not credited for taking down this particular kingpin." I point to the picture of the leader of the ring.

"Somehow, I think it was best for the PR department to not put that in their statement. After all, this ruggedly handsome gentleman _did_ manage to catch the guy after rounding the corner and tripping over a slightly elevated manhole lid." She smiles and rolls her eyes.

"A takedown is still a take down." I say petulantly. I begin flipping through the different sections. My hands hit pay dirt a moment later. I open the paper and begin reading.

"The comic section really Rick?" She eyes me dubiously.

" I only read one of them. I have to read the Peanuts comic strip. When Alexis was little, I would make breakfast, wake Alexis up and after we ate we would read the peanuts comic strip before she had to be at school." I look to her and see this wide grin stretch across her face. "I would read all of the male parts and she would read all of the female ones. She's totally a Lucy"

"I was a Peppermint Patty fan myself."

" Mine was Charlie Brown. See Beckett? Even our tastes in fictional characters are a perfect match."

"I see. So now that you have read Charlie Brown, why do you still have it in your hands? Reading your biography I presume?"

"Biography?"

"Dennis the Menace?"

"Hah… Double Hah." I say folding the paper into fourths and steal a pen out of her pen cup. " Actually, I work on the crossword puzzles." Just as I begin to focus on the puzzle, the phone rings.

"Beckett?" I watch her as she jots down all of the information. She hangs up the phone and looks to me.

"Come on Castle. We've got a murder to solve."

14 hours later and we're finishing up the paperwork for the case. Well Kate and the boys are finishing up the paperwork. I have bought Chinese for the team and am kicked back in the chair finishing off my beef with broccoli. We are gathered in the conference room with half empty food boxes that litter the middle of the table as well as the crossword puzzle that is missing the final answer. It's bugging me that I can't seem to figure it out. Kate takes a bite of her eggroll and finishes her train of thought until a voice breaks her out of her trance.

"You know what still bugs me?" Ryan asks us as he sets his pen down and reaches for his moo-shu pork. All eyes turn to him. Before he takes a bite he finishes his train of thought. " What was it that tipped you off in the first place Beckett? How did you know that she was the one who killed our vic?" He motions to Kate with his chopsticks and then digs in with passion and mumbles something unintelligible.

"Her story didn't add up. She said the last time she had talked to the victim was at eight o'clock on the phone but when she went down to the morgue to claim her sister's belongings, she knew exactly what article of clothing was missing and used it to try to steer us into a different direction."

I find the nearest napkin and write down my first reason why I love her. It was the first thing that intrigued me about her and coincidentally the first thing that made me fall in love with her. I slide the napkin towards her. She looks down at the napkin and a smirk appears across her face. I'm sure she's just read the part where I told her that her intelligence was one of the things that made her my muse.

"I thought it was because I was tall?" She asks and I know the guys are confused because we've all but ignored them completely in our own little world.

"Well who wants a stupid heroine?" I retaliate

"Ah and here I thought it was my eyes that attracted you to me." Her smile gets even bigger.

"Nope, but those are an added bonus." I tell her. "I was attracted to your beautiful mind first."

We lock eyes for what feels like an eternity. The air becomes thick with lust and I can't wait to get her home just to show her how much I love her. I hear a throat get cleared beside us.

"Yo Kev? Wanna go grab some beer and play some Madden? Mom and Dad are having a moment and it's grossing me out." Esposito remarks. We all laugh but Ryan puts on his coat and tells us goodnight. I agree that its time to go as well. Kate and I are to visit Alexis at Columbia tomorrow for lunch and a tour of the grounds.

I begin clearing off the table, discarding the empty boxes of Chinese food into the trash. When I turn back, I see Kate standing there with the folded up crossword puzzle in her hands.

"Did you figure it out?" I raise my eyebrows. Surely she's not going to answer the last piece to the puzzle that I have been working on all day.

" Invariably and forever? Six letters? Really Castle?" She asks. We begin to walk out of the conference room and into the bullpen where she grabs her bag.

"What is it?" I ask genuinely interested.

"It's always." She says as she slings her bag over her shoulder and we fall in step together as we make our way to the elevator. "The answer is always."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update this story. Summer classes are the worst, but I should be able to update every weekend. Thank you all for the follows and the reviews. Again all mistakes are mine. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle.

* * *

Kate's POV

"Are you ready to go?" he asks as he walks in and grabs the keys from off the hook in the foyer.

"Yeah almost there" I say slipping my sandals on my feet.

"If we hurry we can make it there and back before they try to call you in"

"Right Castle, I'm going to have dispatch hold any calls until we get back from visiting Alexis."

"You mean you could have done that all along?" He deadpans, acting as if that was the solution to many of the broken dates and plans as a result of those phone calls.

"Come on funny guy let's go see your daughter." I grab my bag and head down to the garage to Castle's Ferrari. When I get in, I rummage through my purse and grab my gun and badge to put them in the glove department. The last thing I want to do is freak out the security guards on campus. Rick puts the top down and I can't wait to get out onto the open road to feel the wind blowing through my hair. When we pull out onto the street I am immediately caught off guard with how hot it is. Thankfully I wore a light flowing sundress. I'm not too worried if I get called in because I have extra clothes and shoes at the precinct. Trust me, after years of being on call you figure out a system.

The drive didn't take long but finding a place to park did. We decided on meeting Alexis at a local restaurant that is within walking distance from the campus. I fix my hair back into place and then hop out of the car and walk to the door. Rick opens the door and places a hand at the small of my back to usher me into the restaurant.

"Hello, How many?" the pimply faced hostess greets with a smile.

"We should already have someone holding our table. Red-haired girl?" Rick asks the young man.

"Sure. Right this way." He weaves in and out around tables to the back where Alexis is seated perusing the menu. When she notices that she is no longer alone, she looks up and we are greeted with a big smile.

" Dad, Kate, I've missed you guys. How's everything going?" You can tell she's happy to see us with how fast she is talking. Rick and I both give her a hug and he gives her a kiss on her forehead. We sit and begin looking the menu over for ourselves. The server comes by and collects our drink order. When the waiter comes back with our drinks, we are ready for him to take our lunch order.

"Okay so tell me, how was writing your wedding vows? Grams told me you both were having a severe case of writers block."

"We did but we came up with a game so it will be easy to finish our vows." I tell her

"Oh really? What kind of game?" Alexis asks as she reaches for her drink to take a sip.

"We can't really tell you. Grams helped us out but we think its rather unique and we want to keep it a secret until the wedding."

"Oh all right." She pouts and you can tell that Rick has a hard time denying her anything. But he keeps a straight face and redirects the conversation.

Not long after the waiter brings out the food, a salad for both Alexis and me and a sandwich for Rick. We listen as Alexis animatedly begins talking about her classes this semester and I can't help but think what a spectacular young lady that Rick has raised. He may tell me that he wasn't the one to raise her, that in fact, it was her who helped raise him and in some aspects that may be true, but he taught her many of the traits that he has that made me fall in love with him. There isn't much left of the lunch when I feel the all too familiar buzzing from the phone in my purse that was rested up against my leg.

"I'm heading to the restroom." I look to both Rick and Alexis and see that they got lost in a discussion of one of the books Alexis has to read for school. I see his head nod that he heard me and I grab my purse, sling it over my shoulder and head towards the restroom. I stop just outside the doors and take a look at my phone. Two missed calls from Kevin. I go to call him back but just as I punch in the numbers he is calling me again. I immediately answer the call.

"Beckett"

"Hey its Kev. We caught a case. 419 at the corner of 15th and Market."

"Okay we'll be there but we're coming from Alexis' school. Get a head start and we'll be there in a little bit.

"Sounds good." I say as I end the phone call. I walk back to where Rick and Alexis are seated but I can't help but watch how he interacts with his daughter. The way he leans in and hangs on every word she says. I can see us in the same situation 20 years from now. I envision children who have his eyes and my nose and hopefully both of our attitudes. The only thing different is the greying of our brown hair. But this isn't the first time I've felt this way. Really it has been like this for as long as I've known him. The way he cares for Alexis was probably one of the first things that I loved about him. I may not have realized it at the time but it's definitely what hits me full force now. This is the second part of my job that I hate, taking my fiancée away from his daughter to go to a crime scene.

"Hey Rick? Kev just called there's a murder at the corner of 15th and Market. Him and Javi are going to run point on it until we get there."

"Rain check on visiting the school grounds?" He says with sincere regret

"Sure. There wasn't much going on, on campus anyways." Alexis has had this happen for six years now. It's amazing to see how well she takes the information because I know if it was my father leaving I wouldn't be as calm as she is. But that shows just how remarkable she is. She stands up as Rick does, taking the napkin out of his lap and placing it on the table. He moves from around the table to envelop his daughter in a hug. Alexis turns back and gives me a big hug. I return it with equal fervor. We break our hug and start for the parking lot. She walks us to our car and waves as Castle pulls out of the parking spot.

"Be careful!" Alexis shouts

"Always!" We respond before he pulls out into traffic

It was going on one o'clock in the morning when we finally make it home.

* * *

It was a sad case. A young girl from NYU was walking home from classes was brutally beaten and left for dead. Thankfully she survived and managed to identify her attacker. I can't help being saddened by the fact that it was someone who she considered a friend but when they both tried to get a prestigious position in the research building, the 'friend' decided to kill off her competition. These are always the cases that hurt Rick the most. Being together for a year now, I know exactly what he plans on doing as soon we make it home. As soon as Rick turns the key and unlocks the door, he immediately runs off to his office and closes the door. I can hear him calling Alexis. He calls to reassure himself that she is okay. This time, however, I can hear him ask if she is competing in anything and to play fair if she does. I know this doesn't make any sense to her but she probably already knows why he's calling.

I take a quick shower. Washing away the grime that the day inevitably brought. The steam fogged up the large mirror and I can't think of a better place to write my first reason why I fell in love with him.

_' I love the way you are with Alexis. Can't wait to have more children with you'_

With that being done, I wrap myself in a towel and head towards his office. I walk in just in time as Rick is telling her that we love her and to sleep tight. He hangs up his phone and just stares at me.

"Rick, the shower's free."

"Okay, I'll be in bed in a minute." He rises and heads into the bathroom. I walk into the bedroom and get settled into bed. On the nightstand I reach for the newest Nikki Heat novel that hasn't yet been sent to the publishers. I fail to notice the running water being turned off because I'm completely absorbed in the lives of our alter egos.

I feel him before I see him standing in the bedroom. I tear my eyes away from the book and look at him, in his boxers looking ruggedly handsome.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" His eyes shine with love and adoration and I know that he doesn't have to tell me how much he loves me because it's written all over his face.

" I prefer actions to words Mr. Castle." I say with a devilish grin.

"As you wish, detective." His eyes turn dark with desire and he pushes me down on the bed and begins to show me just how much he loves me.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Thanks to all of those who have read, reviewed, followed. Here's the next chapter :)

Disclaimer: I wish I could say that I own Castle but in reality all I own are seasons 2,3, and 4.

* * *

Rick's POV

Kevin has been anxious for the past week and a half. Jenny's due date was yesterday and he keeps his phone attached to his hip at all times. It has been unbearable to watch. Every time Jenny calls him I swear our heartbeats stop, ready to meet up at the hospital to welcome baby Ryan into the world. Instead of good news, she calls to have him run to the store to satisfy her odd pregnancy cravings. Poor sap. I remember when Alexis was born. The love that I felt when she was placed into my arms is inexplicable. I have to say that I'm actually jealous of Kevin right now. He gets to feel that way for the first time. I can't wait to experience it again with mine and Kate's children.

Kate's excited about this little one joining our "family". She has been helping Jenny organize the nursery and even helped with the baby shower. I think she's excited because this is the first baby to be born around her. She is an only child and most of her friends took the career path instead of the baby path. The enthusiasm with baby Ryan has often made me dream of days in the not so distant future with Kate pregnant and getting excited over our own little ones.

It's eight o'clock at night and I just got finished making Kate and I some coffee. We just picked up a case of a murdered car salesman and have been running around for about four hours. Esposito is running phone records while Ryan is pulling his bank information. Kate is working on the murder board organizing and cataloguing all the information that the victim's family contributed.

"This doesn't make any sense. There was no reason for him to be at the dealership this late. He had no meetings scheduled. In fact the dealership closed two hours before we got the call." She says as she reaches for her coffee. She thanks me and takes a sip.

"Maybe he got a call, a customer that had a problem last minute and needed to come by and get it remedied." I offer.

"Well Espo's running the phone records now maybe we can see who last called him."

At that moment, Esposito hangs up the phone. "Well nothing really stood out on the phone records. It shows that he called his wife about an hour after close. It was probably to let her know that he was going to be late."

Ryan turned around in his chair. "There are some discrepancies in his bank statements. Every month for the past 8 months, he withdrew 5,000 dollars except for this month. I'm not seeing what it could be for."

"Maybe he was being blackmailed?" Kate and I suggest. I love how in sync we are sometimes.

"What would a car salesman be blackmailed for?" Esposito asks.

Before I can spin an intricate story of a car salesman who was ripping people off by taking the parts out of expensive cars and replacing them with cheap generic ones, Kevin's phone rings. We all wait with bated breath, thinking that this could really be it. Kevin listens intently and when he hangs up his face breaks out in the biggest grin I have ever seen. In that moment, I know exactly what that means.

"Baby Ryan is coming?"

"Yes! Jenny's mother is taking her to the hospital. I guess little man couldn't wait until I got home." he says. We all hug and congratulate him. Kevin pulls away from us and runs up and down the bullpen grabbing his belongings in a panic itching to get to the hospital. Esposito stops him.

"Yo, I'll get you up to the hospital you're in no shape to drive."

"Thanks man," the gratitude is evident on Ryan's face.

"Use the sirens and we'll follow behind you" Kate says and looks at me. I grab our coats and we both haul ass to the garage to get in Kate's car.

With the sirens, the drive took about 10 minutes to get to Bellevue Hospital. We meet up with Lanie and Javier and the rest of Jenny and Kevin's family in the waiting room. Kate takes a seat next to Lanie and Javier and I go and grab some coffee seeing as how the coffees that we had at the precinct were left behind. I come back and sit with my love and our friends. We discuss the case and what the name of the baby could be. Javier seems to think that his middle name is going to be the name of the baby. Lanie seems to think that the baby Ryan is in fact a girl and Javier's middle name Lucas will not be used whatsoever. This turned into a small bet between the four of us. I think it will be a boy like Javier. Kate and Lanie seem to think that it will be a girl.

Thirty minutes later, Kevin comes in and tells everyone the wonderful news.

"Jenny and the baby are doing great!" He exclaims as he gets another round of hugs from all his family and friends.

"Boy or Girl?" I ask because it started getting heated there towards the end and the curiosity was killing me.

"You'll just have to wait and find out," he says. He turns toward the rest of the family and says, "Jenny wants to see you all before you leave"

The four of us wait for the new grandparents and aunts and uncles to finish seeing the baby and not long after it was our turn. When we walk into the hospital room, Jenny is laying in the bed. She looks positively glowing with the baby nestled in her arms. I go up to her and give her a kiss on her forehead. I can't help but notice the baby is swaddled in pink. Damn. I owe Lanie and Kate a weekend at the Hamptons. I look towards Kate and she is smiling but when I see that she notices the gender of the baby, her smile gets wider. I'm so going to catch crap for this when I get home.

Jenny signals Kate out first. She offers the small bundle to her and shows her where exactly her hands should be to hold the baby. Kate cradles the baby to her chest and she coos to the baby the smile a permanent fixture on her face. Once again I'm bombarded with the images of Kate and I in our apartment rocking our newborn to sleep. My heart swells with even more love for her. She walks towards me and shows the beautiful baby girl. She turns her head back towards Jenny.

"What's her name?"

"Moira Katherine Ryan," Jenny and Kevin reply at once. I can see Kate's eyes start to water.

"Katherine?" She asks.

"Yeah, we wanted to name her after someone strong. You have to be one of the strongest women that we know. I wanted her to be able to look up to her Aunt Kate and know that Moira can be just as strong as you." Kevin informs her

By this point, there is no stopping the flood of tears across her gorgeous face. She looks down at the little bundle. "Moira Katherine, this is your Aunt Kate here. Welcome to the world little one. I can't wait to see what you grow up to become. And I will always be there to protect you. Anyone who tries to harm you will have to go through your mommy and daddy and me, Uncle Rick, Aunt Lanie and Uncle Javier. "

"Alright chica time to share the baby," Esposito says as he puts his arms out.

Kate sniffles and hands the baby over. She finds her way back to me and I wrap my arm around her and she leans her head on my chest. It's then when I realize that I have the next thing that I love about her.

* * *

We head home at around ten. All this excitement makes us just want to fall into bed. Kate is getting into her pajamas when I hear her ask me a question.

"Did you forget?"

"Of course I didn't. In fact I was just about to tell you."

"Okay? So what is it?" Her eyebrows shoot up looking at me questioningly. Her arms wrap around my waist.

"It's the way that you love." I tell her.

"The way that I love?"

"Yes. You love with every fiber of your being. I understand why it took you so long to tell me that you love me. Once you said that you loved me, you loved me with all that you had. Once you tell people that you love them, your protective streak kicks in and you move heaven and earth to make things possible for them."

"That's sweet Castle" Kate gives me a bright smile and a kiss on my lips. She moves to her side of the bed and gets under the mound of covers.

"Doesn't make it any less true." I slide into my side of the bed. The lamps still casting a glow in our bedroom as I give her another kiss goodnight and turn out my light.

"Y'know Rick? That wasn't what I was asking you about."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I was asking if you forgot about our bet. A weekend in the Hamptons with you and Javi? We can't wait. I want to take her to that restaurant we love so much." Even though the light in the room has dimmed drastically I see the smile that forms on her face.

"Wow. I'm hurt. It's good to see that finding out how much I love you ranks second to being right. I see where your priorities lie."

"Just wait until we're finally married." She says as she turns out her light. "Now go to sleep Castle."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, the follows and the favorites :). Thank you guys so much it means a lot. The last chapter was one that I had planned out before I even decided to post my work on here. I originally liked the idea of naming their little girl Molly. I'm totally in love with the name Moira and I felt that it went better with Katherine. (I also have their other child's name picked out and can't wait to start writing another story so that I get to use it!) I just wanted something a little different. Here goes another chapter! Not really sure how I feel about this chapter. I'm up for some suggestions. FYI there is a little bit of swearing in this one. I have already started working on the next chapter. Speaking of the next chapter, what do you think Kate's/Johanna's favorite flower is? As always, please read and review :)

Disclaimer: Unless you count the DVDs, I don't own Castle.

Kate's POV

It's eight in the morning. The shrilling of our alarm clock is hard to ignore. I blindly slap at the alarm trying to stop the god-awful noise. I will myself to wake up but I find myself snuggling back into Rick. The bed is just way too warm. I start thinking about last night and the newest addition to the 12th's family. Little Moira Katherine. Words can't even begin to express the shock I felt when they told me they named their little bundle after me. I may have grown up as an only child but these people are my family. I never would have thought in a million years that I would soon be marrying the love of my life and have these amazing people by my side. I begin to daydream. Lately it's a familiar daydream about our future together. I see Rick and I taking turns rocking our children to sleep. I start to feel Castle stirring and turn towards him. When he opens his eyes, he smiles and gives me a quick kiss on the lips.

"Good morning beautiful."

"Same to ya handsome." Even after all this time I still get butterflies when he kisses me good morning.

"I can't wait to do this every day for the rest of our lives." Apparently I'm not the only one feeling sentimental this morning.

"Me too." I smile.

"What time is it?" He asks with a yawn.

"Time for us to get up and get to the precinct. We're down a man now that Kevin is using his vacation time to spend with Jenny and Moira. Maybe we can get Karpowski in to cover for Kev." I inform him. "I need a shower. How about you make breakfast?"

"How about we shower together?" He bites his lip and raises his eyebrow.

"Not now" I kiss him and move myself out of the bed. "But definitely tonight."

I shower and get ready for work. When I find him in the kitchen, he has a plate of eggs, sausage, and toast along with a steaming cup of coffee placed at my usual spot at the island. He stands on the other side digging into his own meal. Once he finished, he hops into the shower while I finish getting ready. I get my gun out of the safe and my watch and necklace. I spend the next few minutes reading the paper. Rick is finished by the time I finished reading the sports section trying to find out if my team won. He's wearing his dark blue outfit that brings out his eyes. Apparently he is going to try to test my restraint this morning, because whenever he wears that outfit I have a hard time keeping my hands to myself.

"You ready?" I ask. He nods in the affirmative and we grab our coats and head out the door.

When we arrive at the precinct, Karpowski is already waiting with Espo. I go and greet them and see if they have anything new. Castle goes and makes us some coffee.

"There was something else in his financials that we didn't notice yesterday. Apparently he had a honey on the side. The records indicate that he rented a room at a hotel just a few blocks from where he worked. Karpowski and I are about to run down there now and see if the manager knew whom this girl might be." Espo informs me.

* * *

8 hours later, we find out that Mrs. Weston was the one who blackmailed her husband. She didn't like the fact that he was seeing another woman on the side. She apparently slipped out of her friend's party with just enough time to kill her husband.

I figured it would be best to do the interrogation alone to give her a sense of "girl talk". I wasn't expecting for the interrogation to be easy for me. I was thinking it was going to take a couple of minutes before she finally confessed to what she did but no. She started talking as soon as I told her that we knew about her husband's affair. Since she was so forthcoming, I just had to ask why not just get a divorce.

"Jerry blew in like a hurricane into my life. He broke down every defense I had and made me feel like the only girl in the world. His flirtatious nature eventually wore me down. He was so charming and used that to his advantage whether it was for business, me or for the women he liked on the side. He would tell me that he wasn't fooling around and at first, I believed him. I went on blissfully ignorant for about a year until one day one of his floozies called the house. My whole world ended. I began to scope him out and take pictures. I had planned to use them as evidence in my divorce but I figured I could blackmail him out of more money that way rather than divorce him and I leave with practically nothing. But somehow that smug bastard caught on that it was me that was blackmailing him and he refused to pay the ransom. He called me out of party to meet him at his office and he told me that he knew. He wanted to go ahead with the divorce and tell them that I tried to extort money from them so I wouldn't get to keep the $40,000 that I had already received. I saw red. I found the gun that he kept in his office in case of emergencies, and I shot him."

I thought that she would be finished. But instead she looks at me and begins to warn me. "I know of Mr. Castle's reputation, detective, you're fooling yourself if you think that he's going to stay with you forever. A leopard doesn't change his spots."

This made me angry. Why should I have to justify my relationship to this woman? She clearly chose the wrong guy but that doesn't mean that she has the right to criticize our relationship based on a preconceived notion about the persona Castle portrays to the public. I just feel the need to put her in her place.

"Mrs. Weston, there is always an exception to the rule. People do have the capacity to change. I've seen it firsthand. My fiancé used to be a 'playboy' but after four years getting to know each other, I found that he is a kind, compassionate person. There is never a moment where I have had to doubt his faithfulness with me." I'm seething at this point but I don't care. "You are going to jail for a long time and while you're there you can reflect on your poor choices." Officer Sullivan takes her down to booking while I pick my file up off the table and head out into the bullpen. I feel Castle hot on my heels as he follows me to my desk.

I sit the file down and begin to get ready to go. I'm waiting for him to say something because I know he was watching the interrogation.

"What was the deal with that interrogation?"

"It really pissed me off that she would try to lump you into a role that is so not like you. You are charismatic and devilishly handsome, but you are so much more than that. I feel safe with you. Not just in the physical sense but the emotional sense as well. I know without a doubt that my heart is safe with you. You never fail to make me feel loved and cherished… and that's my 'reason'" I smile up at him

" I love you Kate Beckett"

" I love you Rick Castle." I can tell that he's about to break protocol. He pulls me into a deep kiss that makes my knees weak and gives me even more incentive to haul ass home so we can pick up where we left off this morning. I hear a throat clear behind me. Rick and I jump apart as if we had been electrocuted. I see Captain Gates standing outside her office with her arms crossed over her chest and a scowl on her face.

" Is this professional?" She raises an eyebrow.

"Sorry sir." I say guiltily

"She totally came on to me sir." Castle tells her. "You know she has a history of that."

She doesn't even remotely fall for it. Instead she just turns on her heels and heads back into the office.

"Come on Castle, let's go home." I sling my bag over my shoulder and we walk hand in hand out of the precinct.

A/N: Yeah this is the first time I've written a second author's note for a story. I wanted to make this case a little longer than one chapter. I think it makes it more realistic because you don't always solve a case in a day. However, I find it hard to write out actual cases because all I want to write is Caskett-y fluff. If you didn't like this one don't worry because there is more than enough fluff in the next chapter for you to get a toothache :)


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. To the reviewer who asked about a twitter: I don't have one but I've been toying with the idea of getting one. I'll let you guys know if I do. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the cast. I only borrow them for a few hours but always give them back…. Reluctantly.

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Rick's pov:

The sound of Coltrane is what pulls me out of my office. I've been on the phone with my publisher for the past hour and a half and I'm ready to see Kate. I stayed away from the precinct today to get some writing done and all I wanted to do was to help out on a case. I follow the sound into the kitchen where I see Kate twirling around and really feeling the music. I've heard her play this several times and the sight of her right now as this song is putting me in a sentimental mood. While she has her back turned, I sneak up behind and wrap my arms around her and move with her gently, swaying from side to side.

"Rick" I hear the smile in her voice. I nuzzle her neck and she begins to sigh. "How was your day?" She asks me as she pulls away and reaches for the red wine bottle, uncorks it and pours me a glass. I run my hand through my hair and accept the wine glass.

"Better now that you're home." I tell her honestly. She just smiles and I continue to tell her the ins and outs of my day. " I wrote for most of the day and then had a teleconference with my agent."

"Wow… sounds eventful" She presses the glass to her lips and takes a sip.

"It was truly a nightmare." I give her a kiss to show her just exactly how much I missed her. I was so wrapped up in greeting Kate that I didn't realize that she had made dinner. "It smells delicious. What are you making?" I move away from her and open the stove.

"Its lasagna." I turn back and find Kate leaning against the sink.

"How was your day?" I close the lid and make my way back to the island.

"Well with Ryan off on vacation with Jenny and Moira, Captain pulled Karpowski to work with Espo and I. Thankfully it was a slow day, hence the reason why I'm home before eight."

"When is your dad coming over?"

"He should be over in about 45 minutes."

"Mom and Alexis should be back any moment from their shopping spree."

As if on cue, the front door opens and Mom, making her grand entrance, waltzes in through the door with Alexis right behind her.

"Hello Darlings, we're back!" She announces and makes her way to her room to drop off her new things. Alexis makes a stop into the kitchen to say hello. I give her a hug and a kiss on the head.

"Hey Pumpkin." She releases her hold of me and walks around the island to give a hug to Kate.

"Hey Dad… Hey Kate." Kate returns the hug.

"What all did you get while we were out?" Kate inquires looking genuinely interested.

"Well Grams and I finally bought our rehearsal dinner dresses."

"What does it look like?" Kate asks genuinely interested.

"Let me show you." Alexis practically drags my fiancée upstairs to show her the dress that she bought. I take another sip of wine as I reflect upon my life with Kate. I can't recall ever feeling like this with Meredith or Gina. With Meredith, I tried to force us into a family unit. I thought that by marrying her, I could give Alexis the father figure she deserved. With Gina, there wasn't much to our relationship. I had mistaken what we had with true love. Now after meeting Kate I know that wasn't the case.

I'm brought back to the present by a tap on the door. I open the door to reveal Jim standing on the stoop waiting to come in. He has become and important fixture in both Alexis' life and mine. The last time he was here, Alexis felt comfortable enough to call him "Gramps".

I push the door open wider to welcome him in. I take his flowers out of his hand to place them in the vase that Kate had placed on the table. After our first awkward "meet the parents" dinner, we tried it again. After all, both my mother and Jim seemed to have bonded a little bit when they thought their children were in danger. Now every week, usually on a Monday, we have family dinners. We had to postpone the dinner this week because Kate and I could tell that we were getting close trying to figure out who killed Jerry Weston. Jim always brings a bouquet of Peonies. I recognized them as Kate's favorite but it wasn't until I asked him why every week he brought fresh ones to dinner with us that he told me one of the most beautiful things that I have ever heard.

"Katie loves these flowers because they were Johanna's favorite first. Bringing these flowers in every week not only brightens up the dinner table but also allows for her mother to be here in some small part. This way the entire family is together."

Mom is the first one back from her room. She comes down and greets Jim with a hug and a kiss on either cheek. Not long after, Kate and Alexis walk down the steps arm in arm smiling and laughing. When Kate notices her father has arrived, she breaks free of Alexis' hold and shoots down the steps to greet her father.

"Dad!" She gives him a big hug and a smile. You would think that they haven't seen each other in months.

"Katie!" He returns the hug.

"How was the trip?" She asks him the same thing every time and Jim responds with the same answer.

"Gramps!" Alexis goes and gives him a hug. He gives her a huge smile. They've gotten a lot closer than she did with Gina's parents. He takes the time to be involved with her life. Seeing as how he lives closer to Columbia than I do, he and Alexis have definitely gotten some quality grandfather-granddaughter time. With Gina's parents, they were more interested in their grandchildren being the biological offspring of Gina and I. However, Gina didn't want any kids. Sure she enjoyed Alexis, but she said she wasn't cut out for having babies.

"Dinner's almost ready guys!" Kate tells the group.

Heading back into the kitchen, Kate stops and smells the peonies. She inhales deeply and then smiles. She returns to her task of getting the food.

I follow behind her and the second we are alone, I pull her against me and whisper into her hair how much I love her. She turns in my arms and gives me a kiss. We stand there for what feels like a half hour but was more like a handful of minutes.

"Rick, if you don't let me go then the lasagna will burn. You don't want a repeat of last week…"

Ahh…. Last week. I was in the process of making chicken cordon bleu and she came home and jumped me. The chicken was burnt beyond recognition and not salvageable. Needless to say, it was a pizza night.

I grab the salad and the red wine and head into the dining area. I set both down and grab the water pitcher form in the kitchen and begin to fill everyone's glasses. Mom helps herself to the red wine and then eventually pours Kate and me a glass. I sit down and Kate brings in the lasagna and placed it in the middle of the table.

Everyone has taken his or her seats. Kate and I are seated across from each other with mom next to me on the right with Alexis to my left and Jim between her and Kate.

We each dig into both the salad and the lasagna. As we eat, we begin to talk about the things that have happened since the last time we got together. Mom talks about her students and how the production of The Glass Menagerie is going. Alexis talks about her classes at Columbia. Jim talks about his latest case and Kate talks about something that happened with Karpowski and Esposito. As she tells the story, her smile is wide and her eyes are sparkling. Entranced by her smile, I fail to notice that the story she told was funny. I'm brought back by the laughter of the group. Kate at this point is laughing to the point of tears. She wipes at the tears, careful not to mess up her makeup. When she looks at me her face sobers instantly and I realize that she thinks something is wrong. I give her a sincere smile. This seems to appease her and she goes back to the relaxed smile that has graced her beautiful face all evening.

* * *

After dinner, Jim bids his farewell. Alexis clears the table and heads to bed not before giving each of us a hug goodnight. Mom is the last of them to leave us claiming that she needs her beauty sleep. Kate begins to start water to wash the dishes while I put away leftovers and scrape plates for her to immediately wash.

"What had you so serious back there?"

"I was thinking about the next reason why I love you."

"Oh really?" I can tell she's intrigued. "What is it?"

"Your smile"

"My smile?" Her brow furrows and I can see that she's desperately trying to figure out why I love her smile.

"At first it became a game to try to get you to smile. The guys and Lanie could pull one out of you every so often, but it would quickly disappear. It became my mission to make you smile more. When I realized that getting you coffee was a way to see that smile, I put stock in Starbucks and brought you coffee. I would make you smile to watch you lose that haunted look for only a few minutes. Once those ghost came out to play, I tried to get you to smile to take the pain away the only way I knew how. Now that we've been together for two wonderful years, you smile without restrictions you smile these really big smile and the darkness is there, in the shadows but your light shines through. When you smile at me, my heart stops and starts beating again. I get so caught up in your laugh and smile that I can't help but want to keep you smiling and laughing for the rest of my life."

Her eyes are shiny and when one tear escapes, I brush it away with my thumb. "You weren't supposed to cry after I said that, in fact, it kind of proves me wrong by making you cry."

This time the bright smile she gave me was bigger than the one she had during the dinner. This smile knocked all the breath out of my lungs. God she is so beautiful. She chuckles. " Don't worry, they're happy tears. I love you so much Rick."

She gives me a long searing Kiss and just like that the dishes are forgotten as we make our way to the bedroom.


End file.
